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New Indian Express
18-05-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Activists criticise GBA, warn of BBMP power erosion
BENGALURU: Kathyayini Chamraj, Executive Trustee of CIVIC, criticised the successive governments for delaying the BBMP elections, alleging that the delay was intended to undermine the Palike administration. She claimed the garbage, engineers, and real estate mafia had ruined BBMP. He was addressing a panel discussion involving civic activists, organised to discuss the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) and its impact on local governance in Bengaluru on Saturday. CIVIC also stated it would challenge the GBA in court. 'In the GBA, all para-statals come under its ambit. All schemes are prepared by the government. Where is the autonomy of the local body? What authority will the elected body have if everything is controlled by the GBA?' Chamraj questioned. She said that MLA Rizwan Arshad, who chaired the joint legislature panel that introduced the Greater Bengaluru Governance Bill, was misleading the public. Arshad had claimed that the 74th Constitutional Amendment does not provide for control over agencies like Bescom, but the GBA bill covers them all. 'Autonomy of the local body has been reduced to just fixing potholes. Earlier, there was a ward committee, but it also has now been reduced to an advisory body whose recommendations are ineffective,' she said. Retired bureaucrat T R Raghunandan, who delivered the keynote address, warned that frequent delimitation and the creation of new municipalities under the GBA would disrupt reservation rotations for Scheduled Castes, Tribes, OBCs, and women, favouring elite candidates. 'The government's aim is to prevent the rotation of reservations,' he said, adding that the government's actions violated the equity mandates of the 74th Constitutional Amendment. He also observed that frequent delimitation creates new electoral cycles, diluting the representation of marginalised sections. He said cities like Manila and Brussels have decentralised municipalities with clear roles, a model that Bengaluru should adopt.
New Indian Express
07-05-2025
- Climate
- New Indian Express
Palike removes 500 truckloads of silt from three lakes in Yelahanka
BENGALURU: After floods in October 2024 ravaged North Bengaluru, especially in places like Kogilu Cross and its surroundings, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike Lake Division has taken measures in advance to mitigate floods ahead of the monsoon. In the last month, 500 truckloads of silt have been cleared from three lakes in Yelahanka zone. As per Mahadev, BBMP Executive Engineer, Lakes Division, Yelahanka Zone, work on desilting and cleaning of inlets was taken up in the beginning of April. Desilting and deweeding was done to ensure the water bodies' storage capacity shoots up. 'Dewatering was done part by part in Atturu Lake (90 acres), Kogilu Lake (73 acres) and Narasipura Lake (15 acres) with a fund of Rs 5 crore. We removed 500 truckloads of silt. Some were diverted to farmers and some truckloads were taken to designated locations in BBMP itself,' said Mahadev. As flooding in North Bengaluru will have a cascading effect on downstream areas like KR Puram, CV Raman Nagar and Mahadevapura, the Palike has taken up cleaning of Shivapura, Siddapura, Daverabeesanahalli, Allasandra and Doddabommasandra lakes in Mahadevapura Zone. Officials used coracles and nets to remove weeds and floating materials from these water bodies. 'Due to moderate rain in the past 15 days, many drains carried garbage and floating debris. We have removed and installed nets to stop floating materials from entering lakes,' said a senior lake official.
Time of India
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Holes in civic body's claims, as TCS World 10K route in Bengaluru still plagued by potholes
Bengaluru: Twenty-four hours after Bangalore South MP Tejasvi Surya raised the issue of potholes dotting Sunday's TCS World 10K run, BBMP on Monday responded with alacrity, claiming the route was "pothole free" and an Indian participant setting a new record was proof that all was fine. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now However, a reality check by TOI Tuesday found glaring discrepancies in the civic body's claims, and the reality on the ground was far from the spotless picture painted by the Palike. The route planned for the run, starting from RSAOI Grounds on Cubbon Road and covering key city arteries including Ulsoor Road, Bhaskaran Road, Gangadhar Chetty Road, Annaswamy Mudaliar Circle, Dickenson Road, Kamaraj Road, Raj Bhavan Road and Dr Ambedkar Road, was riddled with uneven surfaces, open garbage dumps and freshly patched potholes. Around 2.33pm, a TOI team observed fresh asphalt being laid on parts of Cubbon Road. A contractor overseeing the asphalting work said it was undertaken on urgent orders from the civic agency. He admitted the fixes were superficial and not a long-term solution. On Ulsoor Road and Dickenson Road, the asphalt layer ended abruptly before merging into the pedestrian walkway at several places, creating an uneven and hazardous edge. Loose gravel and dust were prominent between Ulsoor Road and Dickenson Road. On Dickenson Road, a major safety concern was the alignment of stormwater drains. Though the drains were covered with metal grills, many were poorly fitted and misaligned. The uneven covers acted like speed bumps. The situation worsened on Kamaraj Road. The surface was highly uneven, and about 30 metres before it connected back to Cubbon Road, there was a sudden 11cm dip — a hazard that was nearly invisible. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now "Riders often skid there. The dip is sudden and very dangerous," said Manoj Patil, a motorist who frequently uses the stretch. Back on Cubbon Road, the surface remained inconsistent. Some parts had newly laid asphalt, while others featured rough patches or sudden depressions, creating a bumpy experience for runners and commuters alike. The only consistently motorable and runner-friendly stretch appeared to be Raj Bhavan Road. Even Dr Ambedkar Road had visible patchwork — bitumen overlays hiding potholes and surface degradation underneath.
New Indian Express
25-04-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Now, Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike polls likely to get delayed further
BENGALURU: With Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot giving his nod to the Greater Bengaluru Governance Bill, which allows splitting the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) into smaller corporations, Palike elections are likely to be delayed again. The state capital has been without a council body for the last 4.5 years, and now the wait will be much longer. Since September 2020, the BBMP, without a council, has been administered by officials under a chief commissioner and an administrator who are senior IAS officers. With no councillors, people are left with no option but to approach the ward offices or their MLAs to address their civic issues. Ever since the council term ended in 2020, the matter of holding the BBMP polls has been in various courts, including the Supreme Court, which directed the state government to hold the elections. While the previous BJP government took time to increase the number of wards from the existing 198 wards to 243 through delimitation, the present government made it to 225 wards, delaying the elections. The Congress government also initiated the Greater Bengaluru Governance Bill, which was finally passed in both houses of the state legislature this year and was sent to the governor. Gehlot had rejected it in March this year and has now given his consent. According to Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy, the BBMP polls will be delayed. Reddy said the state government has plenty of formalities to finish before the process of the polls can be started. 'We need to start the delimitation process and decide on how many wards in each corporation. We also need to check if we can add some more pockets from the city outskirts and decide on the population in each ward. Once all these formalities are done, we need to fix reservations for each ward -- scheduled caste, scheduled tribe and women,'' he said. Meanwhile, several citizens' forums are planning to approach the courts questioning the Greater Bengaluru Authority. 'There are already many cases related to BBMP polls in courts. If another case is filed, the chances of conducting the polls will be delayed further,'' said a BBMP official.
